Sources confirmed that deputy shift station manager, Arshad Ali Rind was released on Wednesday morning after being kept in the lockers overnight.

Upon his release, Arshad said that he had been asked to delay a flight leaving for Sukkur on Saturday morning on which IG Sindh was supposed to travel. But the flight took off on its scheduled time, with the IG Sindh arriving 15 minutes late.

As a consequence of not delaying the flight, Arshad was detained and kept at the Boat Basin police station for one night, where he was also reportedly tortured.

According to details on Dunya News channel, it was January 14, 2012, flight PK-590 operated from Karachi to Islamabad via Sukkur and Lahore. Flight had seat bookings for a total of 48 passengers including Inspector General (IG) of Sindh Police who wanted to travel to Sukkur.

On January 18 at 1:00AM, Mr. Rind was taken from his residence by police and was accused of being involved in "acts of terrorism". Later, he was released after intervention by Sindh Home Minister Manzoor Hussain Wassan.

Representatives of Pakistan Air Line Pilots Association (PALPA) and other bodies/unions of PIA employees have expressed their support for Mr. Rind.

KARACHI: The good news is that some airline staffers want to ensure flights leave on time. But as one of them was to discover, doing your job can sometimes land you a night at the Boat Basin police station.

That man is Arshad Ali Rind, a Pakistan International Airline (PIA) deputy shift station manager, who maintains that he was picked up, kept in a police station overnight and threatened because he refused to break the rules and delay a flight for the province’s top police official – the inspector general of police (IG).

Rind said that he was asked to delay a PK-509 flight leaving for Sukkur on Tuesday afternoon because Sindh IGP Mushtaq Shah was running late. He refused and the flight took off on its scheduled time at 12:30pm, with the IG Sindh arriving 15 minutes late.

“All the passengers were onboard but the IG and one of his friends were left,” he explained. “I couldn’t delay it 15 minutes.”

PIA confirmed the incident. “Our guy was asked to delay the flight but he told the policemen that it was not in his power to do anything,” PIA PRO Sultan Hasan told The Express Tribune. “So he ensured that the PIA flight took off at the scheduled time.”

Hours later, Boat Basin’s DSP Nayyarul Haq and SHO Naseer Tanoli raided Rind’s residence at Oyster View in Block II, Clifton near Bilawal House at around 1:30am Wednesday. Some 25 men in plainclothes in three police mobiles and two private vehicles first broke the door of his apartment. Rind said that the policemen misbehaved with his four children and wife. “I was sleeping then but they woke me and took me away,” he said. “They kept me in the lock-up and threatened to implicate me in terrorism cases.” The policemen took his cell phone and did not allow his family to visit him at the police station.

“When an IG level man works like this what can we expect with everyone else?” he asked. “He should be ashamed of himself.”

Rind said that the IGP had suspended his nephew, Mushtaq Sikandar Jamal Rind, who is a police ASI posted to Hyderabad. He said that he feared that he and his family were at risk.

Rind was released after his family and PIA officials approached Sindh Home Minister Manzoor Wassan who suspended DSP Haq and SHO Tanoli. Sources in the police department told The Express Tribune that seniors had scrambled to prevent the suspensions of both police officials, who despite Wassan’s orders are still at work. An inquiry team is being formed. Sources said that the police seniors were also trying to negotiate with Rind to sweep the matter under the carpet.

The IGP and other police officials were not available when approached to comment.

DSP Haq told The Express Tribune, however, that he refuted the allegations against the IGP, him and his police team and said that the police had a complaint against Rind which is why they had raided his house and brought him to the police station for questioning. He said that Rind had gone to the media to try and turn it around. “We were just taking action against a complaint,” he said. The DSP did not specify the nature of the complaint, or who made it and whether any entry was made in the roznamcha or daily police blotter. “It was of a private nature and I can’t share details,” he said.

Meanwhile, Rind is being seen as something of a hero at PIA. Abid Saleem Khan, a senior staff association president, said, “Our MD has really appreciated what Rind did and he’ll also be given an appreciation letter. The whole management and officers stand with Rind on this matter. The senior officials of the airline wasted no time in contacting senior police officials to sort out the matter. If Rind had followed their orders, he would have been suspended, because no one can delay flights on anyone’s whim unless the MD orders it.”

In blatant misuse of power, the police early on Wednesday morning detained an official of Pakistan International Airlines for his refusal to delay a domestic flight on January 14 for the inspector general of police and his friends, who arrived late at the Karachi airport.

According to PIA and police sources, a heavy contingent of police raided the residence of PIA’s Deputy Shift Manager Irshad Ali Rind in Clifton and arrested him. They also reportedly harassed him and other dwellers of the house.

According to police sources, the PIA officer was kept at the office of the sub-divisional police officer, Clifton. The Boating Basin police reportedly provided personnel to the special squad of the IG for the raid.

Later, Rind was released after the intervention of Sindh Home Minister Manzoor Hussain Wassan. The home minister also suspended SHO Boating Basin Naseer Tanoli for his alleged abetment in the raid and detention of the PIA officer.

The IG Sindh and his friends wanted to fly on the PIA flight 590 on Saturday last whose route was Karachi-Sukkur-Lahore-Islamabad. The flight left the Karachi airport at 12:30pm. The protocol staff of the Sindh police chief reportedly put pressure on the PIA officer on duty to delay the departure of the flight, as they could not arrive at the airport on time.

Rind said that 46 out of 48 passengers of the PIA flight in question had arrived on time. He said he had received a message from the protocol officer of the police chief that the flight’s departure should be delayed for 15 to 20 minutes, but such a demand could not be met at any cost. He said three of the IG’s friends had arrived at the airport on time.

Talking to Geo News, the victimised PIA officer said that government should provide due protection to him in face of threats of dire consequences. President PIA Senior Staff Association Abid Saleem told The News that the senior management, including the managing director and the director Airport Services, had appreciated the stand of Rind and that he would be issued a certificate of appreciation.

He said that it was not the authority of the victimized PIA officer to delay the departure of a flight for even few minutes. “He performed his duty diligently and he deserves all the appreciation and support of the PIA management.” Abid Saleem said that he was of the opinion that PIA’s senior management would come to the support of any of his association members who faced such pressures.

Sources confirmed that deputy shift station manager, Arshad Ali Rind was released on Wednesday morning after being kept in the lockers overnight.

Upon his release, Arshad said that he had been asked to delay a flight leaving for Sukkur on Saturday morning on which IG Sindh was supposed to travel. But the flight took off on its scheduled time, with the IG Sindh arriving 15 minutes late.

As a consequence of not delaying the flight, Arshad was detained and kept at the Boat Basin police station for one night, where he was also reportedly tortured.